from plymouth rock to ellis island and galveston, texas, to the sandy shores of florida and rocky coast of california, immigrants have made ours the greatest country in the world. today, however, our immigration system is badly broken. but there is hope. this hearing and more importantly, the bipartisan legislation that i believe can be enacted because of it, shows that we are on the cusp of real progress. the president and a growing number of bipartisan lawmakers have laid the framework for what americans support. comprehensive, commonsense reform. we must do at least three things. further strengthen border security, streamline the legal immigration process so law-abiding companies can get the workers they need in the 21st century global company and create a path to citizenship to bring the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in this country out of the shadows and into the full light of the american dream. in texas, we know firsthand that this administration has put more boots on the ground along the border than at any other time in our history, which has led to unprecedented